The ARCTIC NEWS
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The ARCTIC NEWS JOURNAL OF THE DIOCESE OF THE ARCTIC British Anglican Bishop Archibald Fleming (L) (known as the 'Flying Bishop') and his crew sit on a rocky beach and consult their maps, Northwest Territories, mid July 1937 Fall Edition 2019 BISHOP DAVID’S MESSAGE destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Our loving God warns, begs and calls us to turn from our misguided perceptions and follow INFLUENCE Him. Often the Good News becomes a reality after we Friends, I have good news to wake up to the bad news. Yes, God loves, and God is share! We are in a spiritual a God of Love, but God is a God of justice and truth as battle. Jesus has defeated our well. enemy. For forty years God I often hear Anglicans talk about our baptismal has stirred my soul with the ministry. They often speak about social service and message through the prophet saving the planet, and yes we are to care for people Joel. I hear God saying wake and be good stewards of creation, but rarely do I hear up, an enemy is leading new age Anglicans talk about leading souls to Christ. people astray. Sound an alarm, gather everyone to pray and seek God. As we gather to pray, turn to God Our baptism service is very direct in that we live amid with all our heart Joel 2:18 says, “Then the LORD will a spiritual battle. In baptism, we call people to turn be jealous for his land, and pity his people”. from Satan’s kingdom and enter God’s Kingdom. We exhort parents and God-parents “DEARLY beloved, The world is groaning with climate change, political forasmuch as you have brought this Child to be unrest and spiritual confusion. Conflicts prior to and baptized into the family of Christ’s Church, and have within the 20th centuries birthed many anti- promised that he shall renounce the devil and all his establishment movements. The late 1940s -50s Beat works, and shall believe in God, and serve him: you movement influenced the nonconformists Beatniks must remember that it is your part and duty to see from which grew the 1960s hippie movement. that he be taught, what a solemn vow, promise and Hippies rejected established institutions, criticized profession he has here made by you, and be middle class values, opposed nuclear weapons, the instructed in all other things which a Christian ought Vietnam war, championed sexual liberation, opened to know and believe to his soul’s health...”All too the door to consciousness altering drugs and a quest often this instruction is not being provided. People for life's answers. While many adopted the atheistic are often ignorant of who Satan is and that he is propaganda "God is dead" others turned to old world actively at work deceiving mankind and appears as a religions and the philosophy to do "whatever feels god to many nations. good as long as you don't hurt anyone else." As Canadians adopted pluralism believing it is acceptable When people say they believe in God, I do not take to pray to any god, a New Age church grew. Christian for granted that that they mean the God of Abraham, doctrines were substituted, redefined and a false Isaac and Jacob. I question who they are thinking of gospel was introduced. Instead of believing 1 John when they say “God”. The bible speaks of many false 5:17 that "All wrongdoing is sin..." New age clergy gods who are not gods at all. They are fallen angels created their own god of love. While their mantra is who rebelled against God: Amon, Asherah, Ashtoreth, “God is love and love is God” they reject all biblical Baal, Bel, Cherish, Dagon, Moloch, Diana and many scripture that does not meet their approval. New other are all false. I have heard Anglican clergy invoke lectionaries were written deleting anything the goddess and speak in favour of Wicca. They tell convicting. me I should respect other gods. I do not respect them rather I renounce them. Friends, love does not say everything is ok when it isn’t! We live during a time of much deception. It There are so many debates about spirituality that seems most people are unaware that we have a people are in confusion and that’s exactly where cunning, ruthless enemy who uses the power of Satan wants people to be ... in a state of confusion. suggestion to deceive us. In John 10, Jesus The reason why Satan doesn’t want us to hear and says “...The thief comes only to steal and kill and believe God‘s Word is because faith comes by hearing 2 and hearing by the Word of God. In St. Mark, chapter Almighty would become a human and be called The 4, Jesus’ disciples couldn’t understand His parable LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. To see the relevance of about the farmer who sowed good seed in the field, what I am talking about read Ezekiel chapters 33-34 so they asked Jesus to explain. What Jesus says is very and Jeremiah 23. important and if we do not understand and believe Friends, we in the Arctic are not ignorant to what is Jesus’ explanation, we will not understand anything happening in the world. However, the mission of the about the spiritual battle that we are in. Diocese of the Arctic has not changed. As weak as we Jesus explained that the farmer, (Christian are, by God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness, we messengers—Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors continue to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom or Teachers) share the WORD of GOD. But Satan of God, as revealed through the life, death and hates GOD’s WORD and so Satan and his forces will resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through the do all in their power to prevent people from hearing power of the Holy Spirit, we are doing all we can to and understanding GOD’s message of salvation. Jesus enable all members of the Church to live out their said, as soon as one of disciples shares GOD’s Christian calling in parishes, the wider church, in Message -GOD’s WORD, Satan comes to prevent society at large, and in the world. The result is we are people from understanding the WORD of GOD. He growing, building churches and equipping saints for will distract people, speak doubts, create fear, ministry. Glory to God! persecution, slander and many other things to keep In conclusion I leave you with this: people from believing in and acting on the WORD of GOD. CLEMENT XIII REMINDING BISHOPS WHAT THEIR DUTY IS. The book of Joel is relevant for today. God says wake up you drunkards, can’t you see that your field has been invaded by locust, a demonic army of false “It is principally your duty to stand as a wall so that no teachers, who are leading people astray. God says foundation can be laid other than the one that is that the farmers who should have prevented evil already laid. Watch over the most holy deposit of spiritualities are either drunk or asleep. God says faith to whose protection you committed yourselves wake up! Be aware of what’s happening! on oath at your solemn consecration. Reveal to the faithful the wolves which are demolishing the Lord’s In Ezekiel 34, God says, “The weak you have not vineyard. They should be warned not to allow strengthened... the strayed you have not brought themselves to be ensnared by the splendid writing of back, the lost you have not sought, and so they were certain authors, that they may halt the diffusion of scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they error by cunning and wicked men. In a word, they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were should detest books which contain elements shocking scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and to the reader; which are contrary to faith, religion, on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all and good morals; and which lack an atmosphere of the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for Christian virtue. We manifest to you our great them. "'For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I happiness in this matter that most of you, following myself will search for my sheep and look after the apostolic customs and energetically defending the them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock laws of the Church, have shown yourselves zealous when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I and watchful in order to avert this pestilence and will rescue them from all the places where they were have not allowed the simple people to sleep soundly scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. - Ezekiel with serpents.” 34:4-6, 11-12 The fulfillment of God’s promise occurred when Jesus stood and said, I AM the good shepherd. Jeremiah 23:6 told generations prior to Jesus’ arrival that God Bishop David W Parsons 3 BISHOP JOEY’S MESSAGE means that Indigenous people and Dioceses are formally recognized as having the right to steer Lucy, Annie and I were the direction of their ministries toward a future consecrated a little less that is best for them. Second, the motion to than six months ago, change the marriage canon to permit same-sex and it has been an marriages failed to pass, which means the eventful six months.